Amazon.com: Cross (9780316159791): James Patterson: Books James Patterson Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . Next Girl On The List - A serial killer thriller (McRyan Mystery Series Book) Roger Stelljes A serial killer is silently stalking his victim... your name is next on the list - A bestselling intriguing web of lies, twisted secrets and suspense. Deadly Stillwater: A compelling crime thriller (Mac McRyan Mystery Series Book) Roger Stelljes Two girls snatched off the streets in broad daylight - a gripping and thrilling mystery that stops you in your tracks! NY Times Bestselling Series. Betrayal Tim Tigner Love Jack Reacher? Missing Mitch Rapp? Does Baldacci make you smile? Check out Tigner â he doesn't disappoint. "Best book I've read in years." The Rum Runner (Maxwell Craig Series Book 1) Dannal Newman Murder. Revenge. Rum.

Feel the warm Caribbean breeze as this suspenseful tale of murder and revenge takes you for an intoxicating tropical ride. Chicago Blood: Detective Shannon Rourke Book 1 Stewart Matthews "...read it in one session." "...could not put it down." "Couldn't put the book down till the end." Read the enthralling debut from Stewart Matthews Manic Monday: Jake Monday Chronicles #1 Robert Michael In the tradition of Jason Bourne: a man on a mission not his own. The stakes are legendary, the danger acute. The world will never be the same. Ad feedback Special Offers and Product Promotions Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Forensic psychologist Alex Cross's storied career in private practice, with the FBI and as a Washington, D.C., cop has brought him into contact with all kinds of seriously disturbed killers, but his 12th outing from bestseller Patterson (after 2005's Mary, Mary) may be the ultimate in lunatic deadliness. Beginning with a flashback to the murder of Cross's wife, Maria, Patterson quickly introduces Michael Sullivan (aka the Butcher of Sligo).

What follows is a frenetically paced series of brutal rapes and killings by Sullivan, once employed by the mob as a freelancer and now at war with them. Cross juggles being a single parent and being involved in the dangerous game of tracking serial killers until he finally decides to give it up for his family. Needless to say, he's drawn back into the game when it promises a chance of finding Maria's killer. Cross's competence and vulnerability make a stark contrast with Sullivan's sadistic mutilations and psychological manipulations of his victims. Fans know that Cross will survive, but at what cost? (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Patterson's departure from the nursery-rhyme titles in his latest Alex Cross yarn is a tip-off that the focus this time is not so much on the case as on the man. For the first time in Patterson's 13-year-old series, we relive the day in 1993 when Cross' wife, Maria, was murdered. Alex was a young gun with the D.C.

police then, and Maria was a social worker in the poorest and most dangerous section of the city before she became the victim of a drive-by shooting. Cut to the present, and Alex--who has been with the FBI for some time, become a successful crime writer, and started to lose a bit of that "dragon slayer" touch--decides to devote more time to his three kids, much to the delight of Nana Mama, Alex's nonagenarian three-in-one grandmother, nanny, and guiding light. Alex is nothing if not loyal, so when his former partner John Sampson asks him to help track down a sicko who is serially raping Georgetown coeds, Alex cannot say no. Little does he know, however, that the search for the rapist will have ties to Maria's death. That her killer was never found is a constant source of frustration for Alex, and this case offers a chance to finally put Maria's memory to rest. Even as the story whips by with incredible speed, Patterson manages to pack it full of suspense, emotion, and a resolution that, while perfectly satisfying, carries the author's trademark teaser hinting at the "more" that surely will come. Mary Frances Wilkens Copyright © American Library Association.

All rights reserved Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here , or download a FREE Kindle Reading App . Ignite your imagination with these editor's picks from Kindle books. See more Product Details Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (November 13, 2006) Language: English Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces VINE VOICE on January 2, 2011 Format: Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase I'm rather fond of the series, it's a comfort to sink into so you won't find any harsh lashings about it not being perfect, it's another ride in the body of Alex Cross, reading these books takes me into his skin and makes me live his life through his character and book twelve is a snakes eating its own tail but in a good way. Alex is on the trail of a killer who has haunted him for the past eleven years, the man who took Maria's life, the one who extinguished the existence of the perfect wife and mother and the person that the doctor loved most.

The reader gets to see who took the life and why, some surprises and new action comes to place that gives the book a refreshing new direction, past is stirred as it catches up to the future, I rather enjoyed this chapter in the life of doctor Cross as he not only changes jobs but also takes on an enemy who will make the punishment harder to deliver than it looks, if caught one on one with the man who killed the love of your life do you shoot or recite his rights, the more the scale tips the blurrier the line between restraint and cold revenge, and Alex has more choices than time, all ticking against him. As usual this series always delivers a villain per every book or so, this one centers around the erratic but cunning Butcher who slides though law and order like the best ice skater on super speedy skates. He damages and leaves messages, his life almost a farce is hard to track and pin point and he might give Alex some much needed answers, as usual the reader gets to share the villain's and also the good guys mind which is the best thing about these books, the ending is so interesting that I can't wait to read the next in series! - Kasia S.

Alex Cross Forensic Psychologist - Forensic Psychology Online Wyoming As a fictional character created by James Patterson, Detective Alex Cross is a protagonist psychologist/detective that resides in Washington DC. To make matters even more challenging, Alex is a widowed father left with two children (Janelle and Damon) raised in the home by his grandmother, referred to as Nana Mama. The series of Alex Cross novels are some of James Patterson’s best work. The work is written in first person and narrated by Alex Cross who tends to reverse the point of view to look at the world through the villain’s eyes. There are 20 novels in the entire series with a new one (Cross My Heart) about to be released in the latter part of 2013. This is a strong indicator that the series is far from being over. The Character Alex Cross As the protagonist in every novel in the series, the first novel of Alex Cross has him alone after his wife Maria met her demise by an assassin. He eventually meets Christina, falls in love and has his third child Alex Junior (Ali). Throughout the entire series, he is typically at odds against some criminal threat while living and working in Washington DC.

At some point, Christina fears for her life and leaves. The novels are full of tension. However, it is Alex’s desire to remain close to his family even through its challenges. After Christina’s departure, he begins to date again even though women often die or leave him over the arc of the entire series. At some point, he finally comes face-to-face with the individual that murdered the mother of his first two children. At the pinnacle of the story, Alex is doing everything in his power to take the man out, only to have that happen by John Sampson, his best friend. It was this gallant action of his best friend that helped Alex avoid wrapping himself up in a revenge killing. With his wife’s murder being solved, he can now move forward and find the peace he so desperately wants. In later novels, he begins a new relationship and finally marries Bree Stone, only to find he has a new nemesis out to get him. Alex and Bree adopt a girl found by Nana Mama, only to have her murdered in a subsequent novel. He avenges the murder and comes to terms with whether or not he should continue living the life of a detective.

The series is far from over, as it becomes more complex in dealing with actions of the past with new archenemies continuing to arise. Film Adaptations and Book Releases In total, the Alex Cross series has had three theatrical film releases based on the books. This includes Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls and the newly released Cross. In addition, the entire book series has been released in both hardcover and paperback. There are even some that have been released as an audio book. The hardback covers tend to reach approximately 300 pages. The later novels have been upwards of closer to 400 pages long. In all, the novels Double Cross with I and Alex Cross have been considered the best books in the series. The next remaining novels in the top 10 include: Alex Cross, Run Cat and Mouse Mary, Mary The original series began in the early 1990s, and continues through the 2010s. In nearly every novel, Alex Cross needs to use his forensic psychology skills as a way to solve the murders. However, he typically needs to do this while on the run, in an attempt to stay away from the antagonist in the story-line.

Patterson is a genius in that he writes an entire story that runs from beginning to end inside every novel, instead of continuing it on as a long series that lasts 20 books or more. This makes each novel riveting in its own right. However, there is a thread that follows through every novel in that Dr. Alex Cross continues to be highly specialized in forensic psychology. He works directly with the Washington DC Police Department before becoming an FBI senior agent. One of the most intriguing components of the Alex Cross novel series is how Patterson so brilliantly switches the point of view or perspective of the reader over and again. Almost instinctively, the readers view the world as the detective only to be switched to the killer and back again. The entire series is written in first-person style with a point of view that is up close and personal. However, when Patterson writes other characters, he chooses to use third person. Patterson continues to be brilliant when developing the suspenseful Alex Cross novels with plot lines that are written with the utmost precision. However, he does this with a delicate touch that pulls the reader into the story line. References: Fleming, Mike (August 18, 2010).

“Idris Elba Is New Alex Cross In Relaunched James Patterson Film Franchise” Alex Cross: James Patterson: 9781455523535: Amazon.com: Books James Patterson Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . Christmas Embrace Emily Walters Hamilton is the eldest son of billionaire businessman Roger Clouse. Hamiltonâs car hits Sarahâs and he invites her to spend Christmas with his family. Love for Dessert Kate Goldman Anastasia Emmott quits her job and starts up her very own bakery. After several disastrous dates she begins to realize ... How to Become President: a unique formula of famous presidents, everyone can become president Dmytro Bondarenko He dreamed of becoming president as a kid. As a young man he learned the lives of the most famous presidents and got their unique formula for success.

Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Forensic psychologist Alex Cross's storied career in private practice, with the FBI and as a Washington, D.C., cop has brought him into contact with all kinds of seriously disturbed killers, but his 12th outing from bestseller Patterson (after 2005's Mary, Mary) may be the ultimate in lunatic deadliness. Beginning with a flashback to the murder of Cross's wife, Maria, Patterson quickly introduces Michael Sullivan (aka the Butcher of Sligo). What follows is a frenetically paced series of brutal rapes and killings by Sullivan, once employed by the mob as a freelancer and now at war with them. Cross juggles being a single parent and being involved in the dangerous game of tracking serial killers until he finally decides to give it up for his family. Needless to say, he's drawn back into the game when it promises a chance of finding Maria's killer. Cross's competence and vulnerability make a stark contrast with Sullivan's sadistic mutilations and psychological manipulations of his victims. Fans know that Cross will survive, but at what cost? (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

--This text refers to the Audible Audio Edition edition. From Booklist Patterson's departure from the nursery-rhyme titles in his latest Alex Cross yarn is a tip-off that the focus this time is not so much on the case as on the man. For the first time in Patterson's 13-year-old series, we relive the day in 1993 when Cross' wife, Maria, was murdered. Alex was a young gun with the D.C. police then, and Maria was a social worker in the poorest and most dangerous section of the city before she became the victim of a drive-by shooting. Cut to the present, and Alex--who has been with the FBI for some time, become a successful crime writer, and started to lose a bit of that "dragon slayer" touch--decides to devote more time to his three kids, much to the delight of Nana Mama, Alex's nonagenarian three-in-one grandmother, nanny, and guiding light. Alex is nothing if not loyal, so when his former partner John Sampson asks him to help track down a sicko who is serially raping Georgetown coeds, Alex cannot say no.

Little does he know, however, that the search for the rapist will have ties to Maria's death. That her killer was never found is a constant source of frustration for Alex, and this case offers a chance to finally put Maria's memory to rest. Even as the story whips by with incredible speed, Patterson manages to pack it full of suspense, emotion, and a resolution that, while perfectly satisfying, carries the author's trademark teaser hinting at the "more" that surely will come. Mary Frances Wilkens Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Audible Audio Edition edition. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here , or download a FREE Kindle Reading App . Ignite your imagination with these editor's picks from Kindle books.

See more Product Details Series: Alex Cross (Book 12) Paperback: 432 pages Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Mti Rep edition (August 28, 2012) Language: English Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces ( View shipping rates and policies ) Average Customer Review: By Jennifer Wardrip on May 14, 2007 Format: Hardcover Having been a long-time fan of the Alex Cross series, I was eager to open up my copy of CROSS. A lot of what I love about the series and Patterson's writing were inside the pages of this book: short chapters, straight-to-the-point dialogue, a fast-moving plot. The only problem is that the plot, in general, left me wanting to yell at someone. I can overlook the fact that Alex Cross's wife apparently didn't die the way he had originally stated. I can even overlook the fact that after fourteen years and several other relationships (one that even ended in producing a son), Alex now seems obsessed with "getting over" his long-dead wife.

What I couldn't overlook was the fact that with this book, besides being a detailed description of his wife's murder and Alex's new committment to finding her killer, there's not a whole lot else there. The Alex in this book is moody, melancholy, and totally anti-Alex Cross to the point that I wasn't even sure, halfway through the book, that I was reading about the same character. He's not the only one, though. His children, his friends, and even dear old Nana Mama are all acting out of character--and not in good ways. Sure, the "mystery and suspense" part of the story is a pretty good one. Patteron's writing style is always a welcome change to me. CROSS, though, is one Alex Cross story I could have done without. By Mezzanine on January 14, 2007 Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase Cross? You bet I am... No feeling for any of the characters. Violence is used as a substitute for plot. It's awful stuff, really it is. Something an 18 year old fixated by rape and murder might have written.

It says it all in the acknowledgments - 3 people helped with research - of what exactly? There was nothing factual other than lists of music. Chris Tebbetts wrote a section of the story. Faint praise. And who is Steve Bowen, 'slowly getting Hollywood to see the obvious'? Is 'the obvious' the answer to why this can never be a movie? 'Chap 55 - p.175 - 'The Butcher watched them as they stood in front of the tony Claridge's Hotel...'. What does that mean? Or take Chapter 42 (pp 129-131) = one of the longer chapters because we're meant to see blossoming of something perhaps between Alex and Kayla. They say barely two words to each other, however and all we get is a description of what Kayla was wearing and what they ate and drank. Absolute drivel!!! There are so many more examples...

Is it not absurd that a supposed hot-shot Alex Cross is threatened by a known criminal 'The Butcher' in his home, that 'The Butcher' leaves without doing any butchering and that Cross's wife is killed in 1993, Cross works the case for a year and still doesn't find out anything. Duh!!!! Takes until 2005 to work out who it could be...hello?...there is a huge credibility gap here. Other points: 1. Length - how many words/pages/how long to read? I read the first ninety pages in 20 minutes which means I'll have finished the book in less than 2 hours...make that one hour fifty minutes. It's 393 pages beginning on page 7. Take off one page for each of the 122 chapter starts/ends plus another ten for 'Part I,II etc' = 250 pages roughly each page only 27 lines/200 words per page total 50,000 words more of a short story or novella. 2. Division into 122 chapters - for no reason. Action continues across chapters regularly.

Almost seems to be done to make book appear longer than really is. 3. Story depth non-existent. Character depth likewise, dialogue gruesome and childish - really. 4. Action happens unintelligently. Plans are dull. Action predictable. Story predictable. Did James Patterson really write this? 5. Quality of writing - use of inappropriate grating words - this wouldn't make it past the first cut for most literary agents. 6. This is a best-seller? - I'm amazed. Really amazed. Looks like a victory for the marketing guys to whom I take off my hat in admiration. Show me one bit of originality of thought or delightfulness of expression or moment of suspense or character development and I will be happy. At the moment, I feel cheated... By M. Adams-Cauble on April 13, 2007 Format: Hardcover I don't know how anyone can give this book 5 stars. I started reading JP's earlier books and loved them. When he decided he was really important (read: arrogant), his books took a turn for the worse. Every book is worse than the last but I stupidly keep reading them, thinking they will improve.

When JP insisted that he could write women because he was raised by women (as stated in the letter to the reader in the advance of First to Die), I knew he'd lost it. What an insult to women! The characters are flat and lifeless. I knew immediately that he did not write the series and that it was ghostwritten. But this was not revealed until the 2nd or 3rd book. I suppose he thinks his readers are too stupid to pick up on this. But, I digress; this review is about Cross. Again, the characters are flat and lifeless and completely unbelievable. The monotony of the book has a "nice" interlude early on in the form of a Mercedes commercial. How much did they pay you for that, JP? And I suppose that Alex Cross is so unflappable as to not require grieving time for the death of his wife. The entire book is insulting to we as readers that we would be so gullible as to not see through the arrogance of the writer. JP has become so enamored with himself and the possibility of more monetary success that he has abandoned the types of stories that made him successful.

He doesn't care about the entertaining of the reader, only about making money and churning out his books as quickly as possible. To top it off, he doesn't even write half of what he puts his name on. I know other authors do this but he blatantly takes credit for everything rather than admitting that his name is now only a brand instead of the real thing. Shame on you, James Patterson! Along Came a Spider | Alex Cross Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Along Came a Spider Share Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. For other uses, see Along Came a Spider (disambiguation) Along Came a Spider Along Came A Spider is the first novel in a series of books written by James Patterson , about forensic psychologist Alex Cross . It was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2001, starring Morgan Freeman as Cross. Along came a spider Edit Alex Cross is a Washington, D.C.

homicide investigator and forensic psychologist investigating the murders of two black prostitutes and an infant. The women were slashed with a razor , their pubic hair shaved and their breasts cut off. At Washington Day School, an exclusive private school, math teacher Gary Soneji kidnaps Maggie Rose Dunne and Michael Goldberg. Cross' lieutenant pulls him off the murder case to investigate the kidnapping. Cross feels his department cares more about two rich white children than two black prostitutes. He meets Jezzie Flannagan, the head of the children's Secret Service detail. At an old farmhouse Soneji buries the children alive in special coffins he made for them. Soneji watches the TV coverage of the kidnapping and is angered by FBI agent Roger Graham's contemptuous comments about him. Soneji later impersonates a reporter and stabs Graham. Cross, partner John Sampson and the FBI search Soneji's apartment, discovering his obsession with kidnappings, particularly that of the Lindbergh baby . They find a note taped to a mirror with the phrase, "I want to be somebody!" Soneji later tells the FBI he killed Graham. Over the next few months, Michael Goldberg's body is discovered.

The Dunnes receive a telegram from someone they believe is Soneji asking for $10 million, which came from Miami . Cross, Sampson and the FBI travel to Florida to investigate. Flannagan and Cross become lovers. Soneji orders Cross to deliver $10 million to Walt Disney World in Orlando . Cross wonders how Soneji knows about him or his involvement. At Disney World a man approaches Cross, saying he will take him to see Maggie. The FBI surrounds them and the man threatens to have Maggie killed unless they release him. He takes Cross on a plane, flying to a small island. At nightfall, the pilot takes off again and lands in South Carolina . He takes the money, leaving Cross there. At the farmhouse where Soneji kept the children, police officers find the empty graves where Maggie and Michael were held. Soneji returns to his home in Wilmington, Delaware , where it is revealed he has a wife and a daughter, both of whom he plans to kill. In Washington DC, Soneji, dressed as a public utility employee, murders Vivian Kim, a teacher from Washington Day, to send a message. Cross and Sampson are sent to the scene.

Kim has had her breasts cut off and pubic hair shaved. They also find Maggie's shoe. Cross now knows Soneji is also the murderer he is looking for. Cross and Sampson are walking the neighborhood where the hookers were murdered. They meet Ms. Scott, an elderly woman who recalls a man driving around the neighborhood and going door to door selling heating systems for Atlantic Heating. In Wilmington, Soneji and his wife are having a birthday party for their daughter. Outside, the FBI with Cross and Sampson are on a stakeout. They rush the house, but when they go in Soneji is missing. A day later Soneji walks into a McDonald's and holds the people inside hostage. A trooper takes a shot at Soneji, but Cross saves him, as he believes Soneji knows where Maggie is. Soneji promises Cross he will regret saving his life. The trial lasts eleven months. Cross hypnotizes Soneji several times, learning he has a split personality ; Gary Murphy, his everyday persona, is a gentle family man, while Gary Soneji is a vicious sociopath . Despite the defense's best effort at an insanity plea , Soneji is imprisoned.

Cross questions a woman about Soneji, learning that someone was following Soneji and knew about the kidnapping. Cross wonders about Mike Devine and Charley Chakely, the Secret Service agents in charge of protecting Maggie Rose and Michael when they were kidnapped. Cross meets with Soneji, who confirms he may have been followed. Soneji did not make the connection until he recognized the man at his trial: Mike Devine. Cross meets with the FBI, who are also investigating. The FBI believes Mike Devine and Charley Chakely took the ransom money, hiring and later murdering the pilot from Florida. Cross learns that Flannagan masterminded the kidnapping using her lover, Devine, as a pawn. Soneji escapes from prison and goes to Washington. He tortures Devine to find out that the money is still there. After retrieving the money Soneji kills Devine. Cross takes Flannagan on a Caribbean getaway. He confronts her about what she did. She explains that Michael Goldberg's father was threatened by a Colombian cartel and demanded protection for his family. Devine and Chakely noticed Soneji driving by the Goldberg house, and proceeded to follow him.

The ransom was her idea, and they removed Maggie after the Goldberg boy died. Cross demands to know where Maggie is, but she does not confess until the FBI detain her after having heard everything on Sampson's listening device. Maggie is then found with a family with whom she had been living with for the past two years. Soneji attacks Cross, attempting to kill his grandmother and children. Losing the fight, Soneji is trapped near the White House . He takes two children hostage. Soneji is about to shoot Cross, but Sampson shoots Soneji, wounding him. Jezzie Flannagan is executed by lethal injection . Six weeks earlier Charlie Chakely was executed. Soneji writes a taunting letter to Cross and bribes a guard at the mental institution he is in to leave it on Cross' windshield. Characters Edit Alex Cross: An African-American man, he is described as good-looking and well-built. A forensic psychologist as well as a detective, he is often referred to as "Doctor Detective." Despite being very dedicated to his job, he manages to be a devoted father to his two children.

His wife, Maria, was killed in a shooting before the novel begins and he is romantically involved with Jezzie Flannagan before he finds out her role in Maggie Rose's disappearance. Jezzie Flannagan: Before the kidnapping of Maggie Rose and Michael Goldberg, she held an esteemed position in the Secret Service—the first woman ever to hold the position. She is described as very beautiful, though she confides in Alex that she wishes she'd been born plain so she wouldn't have to face as much sexism in her workplace. As a white woman romantically involved with Alex, (an African-American man), she faces racism, though she handles it better than Alex does. Both her parents were alcoholics, and her father committed suicide. She names them as "smart failures," or brilliant people who never made anything of their lives. When Alex confronts her about her betrayal, she admits that she approached him at first strictly to get information on what the cops knew, but that she later fell in love with him and his children. Gary Murphy/Soneji: As a boy, he was physically and sexually abused by his father and stepmother, which caused him to develop a split personality, (Gary Soneji).

Gary Murphy is his humane, all-American father/husband side, and Gary Soneji is the sick monster who fantasizes kidnapping and burying a baby alive at twelve and orchestrates the kidnapping of Maggie Rose and Michael Goldberg. He has an obsession with being famous, and wants to be the most feared criminal in all America. James Patterson's Alex Cross Audiobooks Home Â» James Patterson's Alex Cross Audiobooks James Patterson's Alex Cross Audiobooks "The Alex Cross series remains Patterson's finest," says Publishers Weekly of this string of mysteries. The Washington , D.C. , detective/FBI agent started off as a psychologist, concentrating on abnormal psychology and forensic psychology. Even though his private practice went bust, he still finds that his training helps him solve crimes, whether working as a profiler in Washington , or as a senior agent with the FBI. His training in abnormal psych gives him an uneasy awareness of the terrible harm people are capable of inflicting on one another. Cross (Alex Cross Series #12) by James Patterson, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® Meet the author Overview Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington, DC, Police Department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife, Maria, in front of him.

The killer was never found, and the case turned cold, filed among the unsolved drive-bys in D.C.'s rough neighborhoods. Years later, still haunted by his wife's death, Cross is making a bold move in his life. Now a free agent from the police and the FBI, he's set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama, Damon, Jannie, and little Alex is finally getting in order. He even has a chance at a new love. Then Cross's former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi recalls a case Sampson and Cross worked together years earlier. When the case reveals a connection to Maria's death, Cross latches on for the most urgent and terrifying ride of his life. From the man USA Today has called the "master of the genre," CROSS is the high-velocity thriller James Patterson and Alex Cross's fans have waited years to read--and the pinnacle of the bestselling detective series of the past two decades. Advertising Read More Editorial Reviews Years have passed since psychologist Alex Cross witnessed the drive-by slaying of his wife, Maria.

Since then, he has pieced together the semblance of a life with his grandmother and children, continuing his work as a high-stakes shrink. That calm routine is broken by a request from his former partner, John Sampson, to help solve a case with indirect links to Maria's murder. Alex Cross in the crosshairs; James Patterson's signature character in his most personal case. Publishers Weekly Forensic psychologist Alex Cross's storied career in private practice, with the FBI and as a Washington, D.C., cop has brought him into contact with all kinds of seriously disturbed killers, but his 12th outing from bestseller Patterson (after 2005's Mary, Mary) may be the ultimate in lunatic deadliness. Beginning with a flashback to the murder of Cross's wife, Maria, Patterson quickly introduces Michael Sullivan (aka the Butcher of Sligo). What follows is a frenetically paced series of brutal rapes and killings by Sullivan, once employed by the mob as a freelancer and now at war with them. Cross juggles being a single parent and being involved in the dangerous game of tracking serial killers until he finally decides to give it up for his family.

Needless to say, he's drawn back into the game when it promises a chance of finding Maria's killer. Cross's competence and vulnerability make a stark contrast with Sullivan's sadistic mutilations and psychological manipulations of his victims. Fans know that Cross will survive, but at what cost? (Nov.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. Library Journal For Alex Cross's 12th descent into hell, Patterson (Mary, Mary) abandons the nursery-rhyme titles he has used for other books in the series. Tired of spending time away from his family tracking horrifying killers, Cross quits the FBI and returns to his psychology practice. When his former partner, John Sampson, asks for help, Cross can't stay away, especially when it looks as if the killer might also be responsible for the murder of Cross's wife years earlier. Patterson fans will find a lot that's recognizable here, as the story reads like everything he's done before. This series is becoming tired, and Patterson seems to be trying to compensate by making each villain successively more repulsive. The rushed and tacked-on ending will irritate readers instead of pleasing them.

The best Patterson books, like Jack and Jill, are intricate and substantial, not just gore draped over a thin plot. Even though this book will debut in the top spot on the New York Times best sellers list, it is not recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/06.]-Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. Kirkus Reviews Dr. Alex Cross goes up against the psychopath who killed his wife, with eminently predictable results. Michael Sullivan, the Butcher of Sligo, has long been the favorite hit man of Dominic Maggione, head of the New York crime family, and his son, John Maggione Jr. In between well-paid professional killings, each of them punctuated with a little bow, he likes to indulge a hobby: serial rape and murder. After honing his skills on his late father and an abusive parish priest, he's moved on to assaulting professional women, threatening them with a bloody scalpel, and returning to slash, mutilate, kill and photograph them if they've reported the rape to the police.

Years ago, social worker Maria Cross's caseload included one of the Butcher's victims who decided to talk, and Maria was gunned down on the street as she ran to embrace her husband, back from a hard day's work catching criminals for the DC Metro Police, in a scene that allowed Patterson to indulge both his mushy (Sam's Letters to Jennifer, 2004, etc.) and sadistic (Mary Mary, 2005, etc.) sides. Now that his family's talked him into quitting the force, Cross thinks his life as a clinical psychologist will be quieter. But his very first patient is being abused by her violent fiance, a DC cop, and his old buddy Detective John Sampson keeps roping him in for more consults. The Butcher, meanwhile, has troubles of his own. Junior Maggione has declared war on him, and he ends up having to kill a number of former colleagues even though neither love nor money changes hands. Although Patterson keeps the pot boiling with one darn felony after another, nothing really happens, and after a while, the nonstop violence becomes as routine as thecoupling in a stag film.

The biggest disappointment, though, is an ending that makes you realize you should have skipped this installment and waited for the sequel. Agent: Jennifer Rudolph Walsh/William Morris Agency From the Publisher Peter Jay Fernandez goes all-out in interpreting James Patterson's troubled hero. Fernandez wrenches emotion out of every scene, even when he's portraying Cross's tough-as-nails grandmother, an elderly black woman. He's made even better by the addition of narrator Jay O, Sanders in several roles, including the cold-as-ice-villain, "The Butcher".Audio File James Patterson | Biography, Books and Facts [Cite This] James Patterson The creator of the famous character of psychologist Alex Cross, James Patterson is the accomplished American author of not only thriller novels but also romance and non-fiction works. Patterson spent most of his working life in advertising before establishing a career in writing. With 71 novels in 33 years of which 19 topped the list of New York Times bestsellers, Patterson remains amongst the most widely read authors of these times. James Patterson was born in Newburgh, New York, on March 22, 1947.

Patterson attended the Manhattan College where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree and later earned a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. Although Patterson wrote even before becoming a dedicated writer, he became a full time writer after retiring from the advertising business in 1985. His first book, The Thomas Berryman Number was published in 1976. Patterson introduced FBI Agent and forensic psychologist Alex Cross for the first time in his bestselling novel Along Came a Spider published in 1993. Some more famous titles from the Alex Cross series include Kiss The Girls (1995), Pop Goes the Weasel (1999), Violets are Blue (2001), Mary, Mary (2005), and Cross (2006). In addition to being immensely popular, this series has also been the top-selling investigative series for 10 years. Patterson has often collaborated with other writers and co-authored books with authors such as Maxine Paetro, Andrew Gross, and Peter De Jonge.

Having sold more novels than that of Stephen King , John Grisham and Dan Brown combined; James Patterson is the single most selling author of 63 hardcover titles according to The New York Times, holding the same status in The Guinness World Records. In addition to The New York Times, Patterson’s books have also appeared on the NovelTracker’s top-ten. His literary efforts have been acknowledged by the Edgar Award, the Children’s Choice Book Award, BCA Mystery Guild’s Thriller of the Year and the International Thriller of the Year Award. Despite callous criticism from critics and other authors including horror writer Stephen King who once called Patterson a terrible writer, Patterson’s novels continue to sell like hot cakes and have been adapted to screen many times over the years. Some of the famous Hollywood movies based on James Patterson’s novels include Kiss the Girls (1997) and Along Came a Spider (2001). Noted adaptations to television include Child of Darkness, Child of Light (1991), Miracle on the 17th Green (1999), 1st to Die (2003), Women’s Murder Club (2007) and James Patterson’s Sundays at Tiffany’s (2010).

James Patterson has also appeared on television as himself in several episodes of Castle and a show of The Simpsons. A great supporter of developing reading habits in children, Patterson is the founder of James Patterson PageTurner Awards which began in 2005. The foundation has donated more than US$850,000 to various institutions, schools and individuals that create new and creative ways of bringing back the excitement of books and reading. However, these awards were halted in 2008 when Patterson launched ReadKiddoRead.com, another initiative to pursue the cause of reading by helping parents and teachers to choose the best books for their children. James Patterson currently resides in Briarcliff Manor, New York and Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife, Susan, and son, Jack. Buy Books by James Patterson

Question: Which author created the FBI forensic psychologist Alex Cross?
Answer: (James) PATTERSON